We caught up with Furqan, a Software Engineer at T. Rowe Price, about what life in the sector is really like! Furqan explains why he decided to launch his graduate career at the firm, alongside some top applications tips to help get you started.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey into Tech
I recently graduated from Aston University with a bachelor’s in Computer Science. My journey into technology started back in secondary school when I decided to undertake Computer Science GCSE. It soon became my favourite subject, leading me to study it as one of my A levels.
In order to experience what it was like working in the technology industry, I completed a placement year (as part of my degree) and worked as a Software Engineer at BAE Systems. Following my interest at that time, I also decided to complete a summer placement (internship) at BT, during which I worked as a Machine Learning Software Engineer. Working in two distinct technical domains allowed me to gain a better understanding of the path that I intended on choosing post-graduation.
What inspired you to apply to T. Rowe Price?
Around four years ago, my interest in finance grew, due to my hobby of trading various securities and commodities. This led me to look for technical opportunities in the financial services sector. After conducting initial research on some potential firms that I could apply to, T. Rowe Price stood out to me and became one of my top options.
One major factor that led me to apply to T. Rowe was its supportive and collaborative work culture. These attributes aren’t usually associated with firms in the finance sector, but as a graduate, it was very important to me that I began my post-graduation journey in an environment that gave me the best opportunities for growth. The final assessment stage (assessment centre) allowed me to find out more about the company and verify my initial research findings. After interacting with associates (employees) from different departments, I became certain that T. Rowe Price would be a great place for my early career development.
What does a day in your life look like?
No two days are the same! I believe this holds true for most Software Engineers, but I typically start off my day by checking emails and going through my notes/diary to see whether I have any high-priority tasks that may require my attention first. My team also has daily “huddle” meetings, during which we update the team on our individual progress, discuss any blockers/obstacles any of us may be facing, and attempt to resolve those issues by helping each other. Other than the daily huddle, most of my day is spent working on my own tasks. My team is quite collaborative and willing to help whenever needed. We utilise various software programs to collaborate and optimise our workflows, so getting help at any time of the day is very accessible.
Like many technology teams, we follow the Scrum framework for managing our software development project. This means that after the end of each sprint (every two weeks) we hold retrospective meetings, during which each team member has the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on how the last sprint went. This allows us to continuously improve our development as a team. In addition, my team continuously integrates new features into the software that we are developing. In order to ensure that the whole team gets to see the team’s progress we hold biweekly showcase demos.
What’s the culture like at T. Rowe Price?
T. Rowe Price has a big emphasis on collaboration in every project. From my experience in the industry so far, comparatively, I am quite happy with the supportive culture here. Every associate has access to everyone else in the firm, all around the globe. People here are willing to give up their time to support you with any project-related or career development matters.
For example, recently I was able to get some support on a piece of work that I was completing which required me to utilise code another engineer had written, being based in the USA. I was able to quickly arrange a meeting and get my questions answered, allowing me to make progress with the task and use my time more efficiently.
What has been your favourite project so far?
In my team, every new engineer (regardless of their level and experience) gets given the same onboarding project. I really enjoyed completing this onboarding project, because it gave me the opportunity to build a full software system (front and back-end components), whilst utilising the latest in-demand technologies. Being new to the industry meant that I was new to most of the technologies that the project required me to use. This was a great opportunity for me to develop my technical skillset. During the whole project, I was not given any “deadlines” or put under any sort of pressure, which allowed me to learn and develop the product at my own pace.
What is T. Rowe Price doing to increase diversity in the sector?
T. Rowe Price considers diversity a huge part of its culture. The firm strives to find great talent from around the world, regardless of an applicant’s background. We have four different business resource groups (BRGs) dedicated to helping the firm’s diversity efforts. For example, the MOSAIC BRG aims to advance the firm’s cultural diversity, ensuring the firm is well-equipped with a diverse set of opinions. For example, one of my fellow engineers was made an offer whilst being based in Southeast Asia. After accepting the offer, it was his first time being in the UK and working for an American-based organisation.
What advice would you give to members, with a similar background, wanting to follow in your footsteps?
If you’re applying for a technical role (Software Engineer or Data Scientist and etc), it is very important that you know your fundamentals well. For the graduate roles, TRP does not have any specific technical knowledge requirements, but applicants are expected to have good problem-solving skills and a good foundation in their studied subject.
Additionally, it would also help if you carried out some research to find out more about the firm and understand what separates it from its competitors in the market. For graduate roles, previous experience in the financial services sector is not required, but knowing more than ‘nothing’ would be your strength!
My final advice would be to be honest and yourself during the assessment stages. TRP accepts candidates from a variety of backgrounds, and this means that each associate has a distinct set of strengths and weaknesses. Hence, if you are unsure, or do not have an answer to a question, just be honest. As long as you’re willing to continuously learn and develop your skill set, you’d be a great engineer.
Keen to find out more? Explore where a career at T. Rowe Price could take you here.